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Vent Crack - Booroomba

evanbb

2-Dec-2010
9:34:48 AM

Punters, @SteveC and I had a crack at this classic on the weekend just passed, hoping to do the first 2 pitches of Vent Crack, into Baryon, then finishing up After the Reiving.

The first 2 pitches of VC went off without a hitch, except for me getting a cramp in my groin while doing something weird in the chimney. That was funny.

Then we went looking for the 'obvious corner' left of the slab on the second pitch. The traverse looked diabolical and the 'obvious corner' was something of an incipient seam comprised mainly of wobbly blocks.

Any idea where it actually does go? Should we (Steve) have just manned up and set sail horizontally across the blank slab with bad gear and a pendulum under the last belay? I thought he was being weak.

So, we finished up Vent Crack. The third pitch, which I lead, was unanimously declared the worst pitch of 'climbing' either of us have ever done. Even worse than anything on An Elephant or The Moon.

The central slabs/northern slabs at Booroomba are a total cluster f--- at the moment. Christ it's hard to navigate. The fires have not improved things.

cruze

2-Dec-2010
10:25:47 AM

OK so the top of P1 of VC ends near the top of the obvious chimney crack up on a little ledge. Then P2 of the combo (not sure of VC itself I think it goes more directly straight up as a trench) veers slightly left and up over some loose-ish looking blocks to a nice top out move and past a couple of bushes to the base of the very obvious Baryon flake (pancake thin) which curves up and right to end back in the trench of VC. After the Reiving busts up right out of the trench (VC P3 goes left) into the quite obvious low angled diagonal crack which extends out of a thinner seam near the initial belay, and climbs above an expanse of granite. I guess everything is obvious in hindsight but I don't remember having too much trouble post fires. Definitely worth going back for Baryon and After the Reiving.

SteveC

2-Dec-2010
10:43:23 AM

I've just learned a new word and I like it!

mikepatt

2-Dec-2010
11:20:59 AM

HI Evan,

I have done the Vent/Baryon/Reiving link up but it's all a blur.. perhaps some colour code holds could be bolted on to the slabs to show you which way to go.... god I love Booroomba slabs, yes, I really do.

evanbb

2-Dec-2010
11:57:44 AM

On 2/12/2010 SteveC wrote:
>I've just learned a new word and I like it!

What's the new word?

ambyeok

2-Dec-2010
12:12:03 PM

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reiving
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reive
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reave

ambyeok

2-Dec-2010
12:17:02 PM

As in, "Steve was reft of the oppportunity to reply"

cruze

2-Dec-2010
2:15:55 PM

don't know what you are talking about.

evanbb

2-Dec-2010
2:21:20 PM

On 2/12/2010 mikepatt wrote:
>perhaps some colour code holds could be bolted on to the slabs to show you which
>way to go....

Are you being a smart arse Mike?

Cos if you are it wouldn't work. Whenever I go to the gym, I use ALL the holds. I do not discriminate based on colour. I think it shows bad technique to ignore perfectly good holds, in the gym or outside.

cruze

2-Dec-2010
4:00:21 PM

On 2/12/2010 SteveC wrote:
>I've just learned a new word and I like it!

From memory (which appears to be significantly better for guidebook recollection than for most other aspects of my life) the description of the climb begins with the expression "The despoliation had not even begun!"

Anyway, have another word. It seems Canberra climbers really were cunning linguists.

One Day Hero

2-Dec-2010
6:02:06 PM

On 2/12/2010 evanbb wrote:
>The central slabs/northern slabs at Booroomba are a total cluster f---
>at the moment. Christ it's hard to navigate. The fires have not improved
>things.

Yup, the whole of Booroomba needs massive defoliation and trundlation work. The walk back from the northern slabs was shocking.........I lost my girlfriend for half an hour!!

Estey

2-Dec-2010
7:44:59 PM

On 2/12/2010 One Day Hero wrote:
>On 2/12/2010 evanbb wrote:
>>The central slabs/northern slabs at Booroomba are a total cluster f---
>>at the moment. Christ it's hard to navigate. The fires have not improved
>>things.
>
>Yup, the whole of Booroomba needs massive defoliation and trundlation
>work. The walk back from the northern slabs was shocking.........I lost
>my girlfriend for half an hour!!

I reckon there will be a few more loose ones after all this rain. Who is first up on Baryon and Ivory coast.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

3-Dec-2010
3:56:59 PM

On 2/12/2010 evanbb wrote:
>Punters, @SteveC and I had a crack at this classic on the weekend just
>passed, hoping to do the first 2 pitches of Vent Crack, into Baryon, then
>finishing up After the Reiving.
>
>The first 2 pitches of VC went off without a hitch, except for me getting
>a cramp in my groin while doing something weird in the chimney. That was
>funny.
>
>Then we went looking for the 'obvious corner' left of the slab on the
>second pitch. The traverse looked diabolical and the 'obvious corner' was
>something of an incipient seam comprised mainly of wobbly blocks.
>
>Any idea where it actually does go? Should we (Steve) have just manned
>up and set sail horizontally across the blank slab with bad gear and a
>pendulum under the last belay? I thought he was being weak.
>
>So, we finished up Vent Crack. The third pitch, which I lead, was unanimously
>declared the worst pitch of 'climbing' either of us have ever done. Even
>worse than anything on An Elephant or The Moon.
>
>The central slabs/northern slabs at Booroomba are a total cluster f---
>at the moment. Christ it's hard to navigate. The fires have not improved
>things.

Hmm.
I have relatively recently done the Vent/Baryon/Reiving thingy as two trips with different partners, and as a consequence I now have where it goes sussed out, but agree with you that it is not obvious (until hindsight!).

My take on it is, that once you get off the vertical face bit of first pitch of Vent you either head up right for approx 20m? across stepped slabs to the trench of 2nd pitch of Vent (about 10m rightwards-offline), or ... about half up those stepped slabs head up left (approx 20m?) to a small ledge below the (only then obvious), flake of Baryon. Note: This ledge is probably about 15m leftwards-offline!

If you do Baryon you will re-enter the Vent trench at a large (2m tall) heart-shaped boulder which is clearly visible from the base of the Vent trench. After The Reiving breaks out right at this boulder and takes the thin crack up the slab heading towards the right skyline.
The continuation pitch of Vent only has a few nice moves above that belay and quickly deteriorates into a walk off affair.

Re
>The traverse looked diabolical and the 'obvious corner' was
>something of an incipient seam comprised mainly of wobbly blocks.

Yes!
Heh, heh, heh.

>Any idea where it actually does go? Should we (Steve) have just manned
>up and set sail horizontally across the blank slab with bad gear and a
>pendulum under the last belay? I thought he was being weak.

Yes!! again, heh, heh, heh.
I would estimate it to be about 30m horizontal distance between the belay at base of Vent trench and the ledge immediately below Baryon Flake. It is reasonably easy climbing though the gear is sparse...

mikepatt

4-Dec-2010
10:19:43 AM

On 2/12/2010 evanbb wrote:

>
>Are you being a smart arse Mike?

Er, yes and no. I actually like the idea of colour coded bolts e.g. Kangaroo Corner.

I have also been very challenged at Boorroomba. Couldn't for the life of me work out the top two pitches of Outer Limits.

m.

There are 14 messages in this topic.